One of the many things I enjoy about this job is meeting some of the people behind the boats I test and evaluate. A question I like to ask, especially to the independent builders, is, "How did you get into this business?" More than once the response from a giddy rookie was that they were looking to buy a boat for themselves, couldn't find one that they liked, so they started a company. Then, before they know it,they are in the boat building business.

Although Frank Sciortino, president of North East Seas Yacht Sales and the regional importer for Altima Yachts, found his way to a yard in China while on the path to build a boat for himself, this is where he breaks away from the above pigeon hole. He is very affable, but he is no "giddy rookie". And in my opinion Frank will be in this business long after some of his brethren have built a boat or two and retreated back to a saner life far away from boatbuilding.

What's the difference? For one Frank is a very knowledgeable and passionate boater, incorporating design elements and features into each boat derived from years on the water. There are no design committees or consultations in Frank's office. Just a simple question, "Will this make sense?" If so, he'll try to make it happen. The other reason Frank isn't going anywhere is that he's building a very good product. The new Altima 60, for example, is packed with thoughtful design elements, is well engineered, and represents a good value when compared to other boats in her class. The end result is a great platform to cruise anywhere from Mackinac to the Bahamas.

The first Altima to hit North American waters was the Altima 55. I was a fan of this boat and impressed by its overall running characteristics. In fact, an editor that I sent out to test a late model 55 called me afterwards raving about how the boat shrugged off some sloppy conditions, and was a solid performer.

I had a similar experience testing the new Altima 60 in blustery conditions in south Florida. More often than not, boats are tested in flat calm water. There is no hidden malicious intent by builders; it is just tough to duplicate the steep chop of Lake Erie or the large swells of Lake Michigan on the allotted day you have to run a boat. I will say, however, that one or two builders planned a boat test around a good weather window and canceled when things looked dicey. So when I showed up at Frank's dock in Ft. Lauderdale with the wind howling around 25 knots, I fully expected Frank to pass on our test. It would have been understandable in this case, since the Atlantic can get fairly nasty with strong winter winds. Plus I knew he had a host of potential clients coming down, so dirtying up the boat might have been a pain. "Oh it's fine. Thanks for coming. Just a little wind, hop on", Frank said, greeting me at the 60's stern.

I asked if I could help with the lines and he politely smiled and told me to make myself at home and he was fine. Then with effortless precision, he nimbly walked around the wide, protected decks, cast off the lines, and using a combination of engines, bow thruster, and stern thruster, weaved the Altima 60 out of the tight marina. Even with the strong winds, it was a perfectly executed solo affair.

Frank and I spoke about thrusters for a while, and I commented that at first I was embarrassed to use the bow thruster on a 38 footer I had for the summer. He gave me a smirk and said, "They make everything so much easier." And he's right. It was abundantly clear that the bow and stern thrusters could indeed make a 60 footer manageable by a couple. Frank, however, was already a great boat handler, so I'm not suggesting that jumping from an 18- foot bowrider to a 60 footer would be a seamless transition. But the ability to maneuver the weight of a 65,000-pound yacht is definitely more manageable.

Meandering down the New River towards Ft. Lauderdale, I had quality time to evaluate the Altima. My first impression upon walking through the sliding doors from the cockpit to the saloon was of openness. Keep in mind that North East Seas Yacht Sales will work with each customer, and these boats are semicustom builds. On our test 60 there was a seamless transition between the saloon and the pilothouse/galley area. I'm a big fan of entertaining and hanging out in the kitchen at home, and this same type of atmosphere can be duplicated on the Altima 60. Not only is the cook in earshot of the guests in the saloon, but an adjacent dinette is located in the pilothouse area. This basically gives you a separate dining and living area. Although the table in the saloon can be raised and lowered automatically with a remote to varying heights, including dining.

A clever touch that left me feeling rather silly was the foldaway portion of the dinette in the pilothouse, providing access to the portside door. When I worked for a boatbuilder, we agonized for what seemed like days on how to design a pilothouse with two side doors, and a dinette. In the end, we just wanted to go home and compromised, stating the customer could only have one or the other. As Steinbeck wrote in "East of Eden," nothing creative ever comes out of a committee. This is also reveals how Frank and the builder pour over the details of each model.

Great Lakes' cruisers should take note of the lower helm sta- tion and functionality of the pilothouse. I've been jumped by a cold spell as early as September trying to head south, and this type of arrangement can make a late season slog south more enjoyable. Or if you wish to stay in the area, your season can be prolonged. The only change I would make in the Altima's pilothouse area, would be to forego the upright refrigerator and replace it with the optional drawer style refrigerator units. This will open up the side window in the galley, which is blocked by the upright refrigerator. I love the convenience and the capacity of upright refrigerators, but in this case the visibility afforded by tucking the drawer style units under the galley counter is worth the compromise.

Another area that reveals a boater has his hand in the design, is the office on the lower deck. Frank offers an optional office in lieu of the twin berth stateroom on the port side. "This has become a very popular option and we're building most boats with this layout," Frank said. I know some of you may cringe at the thought of taking the office with you, but for many of us, especially small business owners, it is often the only way to get out on the water. I can easily imagine myself slipping into this cabin before dawn, logging onto our office server, micromanaging a few employees, filing some copy, scaring our banker, and then signing off for a full day of boating. (There is a convertible settee for guests as well.) A full beam master cabin amidships, with an en suite head and a forward guest stateroom and head complete the accommodations.

The Altima's fit and finish is very good. The systems, however, went a bit beyond a typical 60 footer. For instance, all the appliances are 220v. Anyone who has ever tired of waiting to dry a few towels in a 110v dryer can appreciate this fact. The house system is 24v, except for a 12v leg for electronics.

Our test boat was equipped with twin 800 hp Caterpillars and in my opinion this is a good package. North East offers several engine options ranging from 600 hp to 1,000 hp. The 800s, however, gave us a very comfortable cruising speed of about 17 knots with a top speed of approximately 21 knots, in a 3-foot plus chop and high winds.

The dinette table is designed to slide forward for more room.
It's also a good spot for a mate to sit back with a chart while cruising.

The engineroom is any mechanics dream, with full standing headroom and plenty of accessibility to the outboard side of the engines. Twelve-hundred gallons of diesel give the Altima 60 long legs for cruisers looking to go the distance. A dedicated professional like Frank Sciortino should be reason enough to take a look at the 60. A base price of just under $1.2 million for a well-equipped 60 footer should be another.